I’ve always been a water baby. Bathtime in our house was like a waterpark. As a child, I was often found sitting on the bottom of the pool holding my breath or trying to swim lengths when I was told to stick to widths. Back then, the deep end looked so daunting and dangerous.
Over time, shallow-end swimming for survival turned into longer strength and technique sessions in the deep end – and the deep end meant diving, and water slides! Moving from beginner to intermediate and advanced squads was not always easy, and I do remember crying as a 10-year-old after being moved up a group and feeling unable to keep up. However, being stretched out of my comfort zone developed resilience and perseverance, resulting in making the gala teams. After tasting success, there was no way I’d move back down a squad, or into a slower lane (constantly hitting the feet of the swimmer in front was the ultimate insult!).
Photos of my swim squad’s successes regularly graced the local newspaper, back when no one cared about all the speedos and swimsuits on show! I still remember the day as a young teenager when I swam two-and-a-quarter lengths underwater without taking a breath, beating much older and stronger swimmers. While this was often an ego-driven challenge at the end of a tough training session, it was really about technique, and perseverance. The other drill was prolonged treading water in the deep end, where you quickly learned you had to keep moving efficiently to stay afloat.
As I watched my ‘faster than dad’ teenagers swim recently, I was reminded how these principles apply across the spectrum of life. We need encouragement and challenges to move from our comfort zone to the success zone. It is not always pleasant, but it is necessary if we wish to develop ourselves. If we are not moving, we may be drowning. And once we reach the deep end, we can look back and realise how far we have come.
We have a range of articles from inspiring people who decided to swim in the deep end. Professor Dame Carrie MacEwan shares her ‘See sweet to C-suite’ journey as one of the original Flexible Training Scheme female doctors in Scotland, through President of the RCOphth and now Chair of the GMC, with many life lessons to glean. Mattan Arazi shares how VISION 2020 rise to the challenge of retinoblastoma. Rather than shy away from AI, Vanessa Chou and Max Jackson meet the challenge head on in their various articles. Trainee-based articles expand your horizons through international ophthalmic exposure in the US and China. We also have an extensive range of ophthalmic events reviewed and previewed to stimulate readers to attend and get involved.
I hope Eye News April/May 2025 encourages you to take off your armbands and swim in the deep end. Everyone needed lessons to start with, so don’t be too proud to ask for help. With even minor adjustments, you might surprise yourself. Come on in, the water’s lovely!
